Thursday, December 10, 2009

Plan Man...

General Dwight David Eisenhower knew a thing or two about what it takes to win. Back in the fourth grade I did a huge report on his life. I still remember how much I learned about him, all these years later. Out of all the stuff that I took in during that project I still think about a certain quote that he is famous for. He once said “Plans are nothing, planning is everything.” Wow. This is certainly true in ministry.

When I started in my younger years I had all of these huge plans about how things were going to be. Nothing could get in my way. I was determined that I would just barrel through all the madness and get it done. To some extent, this worked. But when you put your head down and drive it into problem after problem you are going to get a headache or two... or in my case, more. Cobb watched me and knew how much I could take. He helped correct me when I needed it most and let me learn the lessons that I needed and made sure that I did not kick myself out of ministry for the long haul.

We spent so much time in planning meetings. When we were getting ready for each season of the year it was time to plan. When we did big events we planned. When we did smaller or follow-up events we planned. Sometimes it seemed that we spent more time planning than we did for the actual events or activities themselves. It got to the point that we often wanted to just go home and hope that everything would work out for the best. But we had seen where that had gotten us in the past and knew that the dilegence would pay off. It was about making the sacrifices when they needed to be done to get the good results that we wanted.

So next time you are feeling tired and weary, to the point where your eye lids are heavy and you want to skip the planning meeting... don't. Just get it done and you will save yourself time on the back end of stuff and be happy with the results you get. And you will not really know when you did not plan well enough until it happens and you look back and think, “yeah, that wasn't the best way to prepare.” be a professional and get stuff done. Your ministry will grow tons.

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Rev. Dr. Michael David Morales

Born and raised in So Cal, MO has always felt a need to pour into the lives of others. At a young age he realized both his speaking and leadership gifts. Involvement in school student government gave him his first taste of leadership, and that was all he needed. Right out of high school, he took an intern position under his mentor of three years, and he eventually became a youth pastor.
MO attended Azusa Pacific University and received a B.A. in Christian Ministries and Biblical Studies, as well as a Business Marketing Minor. He continued his education at Fuller Theological Seminary and attained a Master of Divinity degree with an emphasis in Family Pastoral Care and Counseling; he received his Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies.
Currently MO serves in various ministries and consults both secular and religious institutions in leadership issues. he is Chaplain at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia as well as Chaplain in the US Army. MO is an author, professor, and college swim coacch. He speaks at youth camps and conferences around the nation. His goal is to add value to others daily.